Answers
by Silvermags
Summary: Dr. Julien knows he doesn't have much more time, and that his son still has questions. They both deserve to have the answers heard. Takes place between the two overlord seasons, shortly before Dr. Julien's death.


"Well, come in, Zane! I'm not going to break!" Zane's father called to his son.

Zane slowly made his way towards his father's hospital bed. "I don't want to impose."

Dr. Julien laughed. "You could never impose! You're my son, after all."

"Thank you, Father," Zane smiled, then hesitated, "I… have some questions I'd been putting off asking."

"Yes, but now you're running out of time, aren't you?" Dr. Julien said kindly, "Don't look so distraught! I've known this was coming for years. I'm just glad I lived long enough to see this wonderful life you've built for yourself. But please, ask."

Zane visibly wrestled with himself, for a moment. "The… the memory switch," he finally asked, "I know you've said you don't wish to remove it, but why did you install it in the first place?" he started to speak faster, "Why create something that would rob me of my past, my love for you, my very identity? I didn't even know my own nature until I stumbled upon our old home in the Birchwood Forest. Why would you do that to me? You said it was because you loved me, but if you truly loved me why would you do that to me?" by the end Zane was shouting, and he abruptly cut himself off, shocked at his own vitriol.

"You've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you?" his father said with a smile, "No, don't be ashamed, I've been wondering when you were going to ask. I've wrestled with those questions many times, wondering if it wasn't a mistake, to give you the memory switch. But I truly can't bring myself to regret it."

"But why?" Zane asked, slightly desperately, "I don't understand."

"Because you needed more than what I could give you," his father answered, "When you were built, I gave you a very specific mission, 'to protect those who cannot protect themselves'. Suitable for a computer, not for a son. At the time, I didn't truly realize what I had created. But then you began to learn, and grow, and very soon I realized that you were a person, with a mind and a soul of your own, and not merely an automaton. And I knew that as a person, you would need to learn empathy, to understand the worth of every individual life rather than simple numbers and statistics. I also knew that you deserved a chance to decide who you wanted to be for yourself, not restricted by my own woefully inadequate vision. And I worried that if you knew yourself for what you were, that you would never have a chance to learn, that you would limit yourself, hold yourself apart. So I created a way that you could forget, for a time, your otherness, so you could learn what it is to be human. Because you are human, Zane, in every way that matters. You just needed to be given the opportunity to realize it."

"I… I think I understand," Zane said, "But Father, is it possible that there is someone else out there who is like me? Someone else who understands what it is to be a… a robot? I love my brothers, but as hard as they try… they simply can't understand what it is like."

Dr. Julien's smile faded, "There was, once."

"Once?" Zane asked.

"Yes," his father said, suddenly looking even older, "You must understand, when I was trapped on the lighthouse, I was terribly lonely. I was used to long stretches of solitude, but your loss weighed heavily on me, as did the loss of my freedom. During one particularly low point, I realized that something would have to give, and made the decision to begin work on another android, like you, to give myself something to live for, someone to care about and worry over besides myself. I worked on him on and off for months, and then one day he sat up and smiled at me, and I simply fell in love."

"What was he like?" Zane asked.

"Oh, he was the sweetest thing, so kind and helpful, but a prankster too. He got me but good a few times!" Dr. Julien chuckled to himself at the memory, "He loved stories, too. His favorite ones were about you. Your brother was the only good thing about my imprisonment, and I loved him dearly. I'd like to believe that you would have, too, given the chance. He named himself after you, you know. Even never having met you or learned of your accomplishments, he idolized you. I always called him Zee."

"What happened to him?" Zane asked softly, "Why did you never mention him before now?"

Dr. Julien sighed, "Zee loved the ocean, was always fascinated by watching the waves. One day he went out to the water and was spotted by the leviathan. It swept him out into the water, where he was attacked by starteeth. I managed to save him from being completely destroyed, but I didn't have the materials to restore him properly. Samukai had stopped coming, I assume because he had gotten what he wanted from me, and without him there was no way to get the parts I would have needed." he sighed, "I repaired your brother the best I could, but…" his eyes misted over, "It wasn't good enough. Every day it seemed something else went wrong with his systems, a string of catastrophes, one system after another failing, first his hearing, then his fine motor control, then his _legs_, then his cognitive centers, and then one morning he simply… never woke up." Dr. Julien bowed his head at the memory.

"That's why you were so afraid when I jumped in the water," Zane realized, "Because of my brother."

"I couldn't have borne losing both of you," Dr. Julien agreed, "After his death, I made him a tomb of sorts in the basement of the lighthouse, where the leviathan couldn't see and the starteeth couldn't reach. When you came for me with your friends, I considered disinterring him and bringing him back to Ninjago with us, but I decided to let the dead rest. The lighthouse was the only home he'd ever known. It wasn't a bad place for him to stay."

"Thank you for telling me, Father," Zane whispered, "I only wish I could've known him, and that we could've both had more time with you."

"Hey, don't worry about me," Dr. Julien said, "I'm old! This had been a long time coming. And when I go, I'll be with your brother again."

"Will you tell him hello? From me?" Zane asked.

"Naturally," his father smiled, "We'll have a grand old time watching your adventures until you come and join us. Which had better not be for a good long while yet!"

"Of course not, Father," Zane said, standing up "I wouldn't dream of it. But I should really let you sleep now."

"You should sleep now too!" his father mock scolded, "I love you, son."

"I love you too, Father," Zane smiled and slowly left the room.


End file.
